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NOTE ABOUT FIELD TRIPS Field trips are free, and people of any age or level of experience are welcome to participate. This page will reflect any changes made to existing field trips, including trips that are rescheduled or added after the newsletter is mailed. In the event of inclement weather, please contact the trip leader to see if the trip has been canceled. Any trip may involve walking on dirt and/or paved trails, but some trips will be more strenuous than others. Trip leaders can advise you of the amount of physical activity involved. For all field trips, bring comfortable footwear for hiking, binoculars, water, snacks, sunscreen, and FRS radios, if you have them. In warmer seasons, bring mosquito and tick repellent. And lastly, you don't have to be an expert to go birding and have fun with Burroughs Audubon!  BURROUGHS AUDUBON FIELD TRIPS & OTHER LOCAL AND REGIONAL EVENTS JULY 2010 Sunday, July 18 - Prairie and woodland bird survey on the property of David and Kathy Winn. Located approximately 40 miles south of Kansas City in Cass County, near Drexel. Join Mike Stoakes and Joe Alburty in generating a checklist for this restored praire and natural area. Tanagers, flycatchers, and vireos, along with abundant wildflowers (including endangered Mead's Milkweed) and butterflies are featured within the 50+ acre confine. This remnant prairie is carefully maintained by the owners who are very appreciative of birders willing to report whatever species they find. Meet at the Harrisonville McDonald's at 7:30 a.m. Bring water, food, and protection against ticks and sunburn. We'll plan to end the survey before noon, and we may visit nearby Amarugia Highlands Conservation Area in order to bolster the CACHE data for this MDC-managed conservation area. Contact Mike at  or 816-554-1956 or Joe at  or 913-722-1597.Saturday, July 24 - Skyline Drive and Mt. Mitchell Heritage Prairie with Sherry Leonardo and Mike Stoakes. Meet at 1:30 p.m. at the commuter parking lot at I-70 and K-7 for carpooling. This trip will start with a scenic drive through the Flint Hills by way of Skyline Drive. Upland Sandpipers, Common Nighthawks, and other prairie species are sure to be encountered. After the heat of the day has passed, we'll walk parts of Mt. Mitchell Heritage Prairie in the early evening to look for birds and learn more about this historic site. There will be an optional dinner stop afterwards, but please be sure to bring snacks, water, and insect repellent for the afternoon. If you plan to join us, please call or email Mike Stoakes at 816-554-1956 (hm.) or 816-298-0559 (cell) or , so that we stay together as a group on this, largely, driving trip.Saturday, July 31 - Powell Gardens annual North American Butterfly Count with Alan Branhagen. Meet at the visitor's center at 9:00 a.m. There will be a $3/person count fee, but be sure to mention that you're with Burroughs Audubon, and the normal Powell Gardens entrance fee will be waived. All levels of physical ability may participate, but Allen's group will be walking 3.25-mile Byron Shutz nature trail. If walking the trail, please be sure to bring insect repellent, snacks and plenty of water. Reservations are required, so please pre-register or contact Alan at 816-697-2600 ext. 241 or  by July 30th.AUGUST 2010 Sunday, August 15 - Olathe Prairie Center and Kill Creek Park with Nic Allen. Join Nic on this metro area field trip. We'll begin by visiting the 300-acre tallgrass preserve and education site, known simply as the Prairie Center, with trails that wind through remnant and re-established prairie and riparian woodlands. Some of the species that we hope to find include: Yellow-breasted Chat, Eastern Towhee, Grasshopper Sparrow, Dickcissel, and Blue Grosbeak. For those who wish to continue after lunch, we'll visit Kill Creek Park, the newest and third regional park in Johnson County Parks & Recreation District's extensive system. Here, we hope to find various herons and egrets, raptors, migrating shorebirds, swallows, and Great-tailed Grackles. Meet at 7:30 a.m. in the Prairie Center parking area at Santa Fe (135th St.) and Cedar Niles Rd. Directions: take I-35 to Santa Fe (exit 218) and go 5.25 miles west to Cedar Niles Rd. Bring lunch, snacks, drinks and insect repellent. Hiking at the Prairie Center will be on gravel trails over uneven terrain. Hiking at Kill Creek will be on asphalt paths. For more information, contact Nic at  or 913-375-8030.Sunday, August 22 - Grand Pass Conservation Area with Sherry Leonardo. Join us at this, largely, wetland area along the Missouri River in Saline County. For a unique opportunity, we'll spend some time with Dana Ripper, co-founder of the Missouri River Bird Observatory, as she bands migrating shorebirds. Dana has received grants from the Missouri Department of Conservation to study birds that use Grand Pass and has banded 27 species not previously reported by birders in CACHE. Meet at 7:00 a.m. in the Blue Springs commuter lot. Directions: from I-70 (exit 20), go 0.4 miles north on MO Hwy 7; the lot is on the north side of Price Chopper and behind O'reilly Auto Parts. Bring lunch, snacks, drinks and insect repellent. For more information, contact Sherry at  or 816-763-1393.SEPTEMBER 2010 Monday, September 20 - Sixth Annual Smithville Lake Pelagic with Kristi Mayo. Meet at 1:30 p.m. at the Camp Branch Marina. Participants will have the opportunity to get a completely different view of this birding hotspot from the deck of a pontoon boat. Target birds will be rare gulls, phalaropes, waterfowl, and grebes. Ospreys are sure to abound. We will rent two pontoon boats, with space limited to 18 participants. The $20 per person cost is for boat rental. The trip will last from 2:00 until, approximately, 6:00 p.m. Following the tour, there may be time to drive to the dam to watch the gathering gull roost. To reserve your spot, contact Kristi at  . After making your reservation, please send a check payable to Kristi Mayo, before September 15, to: 1807 Clear Creek Dr., Kearney, MO 64060.Directions: Take I-35 north of Liberty to MO Hwy 92. From exit, turn left (west) and go 6.4 miles on Hwy 92. Turn right (north) on N. Eastern Rd./N.E. 156th St. Continue on N. Eastern Rd./N.E. 156th St. to Short Ln. Turn right (north) on Short Ln. and continue to County Rd. E. Turn left (west) on E and continue to Camp Branch/Collins Rd. Turn right (north) on Camp Branch/Collins Rd. and continue 1.6 miles to Camp Branch Marina entrance (first left turn after crossing long bridge). IMPORTANT NOTE: The boats will not be taken out in high winds or if there is lightning in the area. If weather cancels the boat trip, we'll try to bird on foot and by car. This trip will not be rescheduled. Deposits will be refunded or donated to Burrough's Audubon Society. Friday, Sept. 24 through Sunday, Sept. 26 - Fall meeting of the Audubon Society of Missouri at Camp Clover Point, Lake of the Ozarks State Park, MO. Saturday, Sept. 25 through Sunday, Sept. 26 - Hitchcock Nature Center and DeSoto NWR with Sherry Leonardo. Join us for a Hawk Watch weekend! Meet at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning at the Hitchcock Center. Directions: travel north of Council Bluffs, Iowa on I-29 to exit 61A. Turn right (east) on County Rd. 988 (Old Mormon Bridge Rd.) and continue to intersection with Old Lincoln Highway. Turn left (north) on Old Lincoln Hwy. and continue 4.4 miles to Page Lane. Turn left and follow sign to park entrance. We'll bird with a staff member and observe hawk banding in the morning. In the afternoon, we'll participate in the Center's public hawk watch festivities. $3.00 per person fee at Hitchcock. On Sunday morning we'll visit DeSoto NWR in Missouri Valley, IA and bird for a few hours, before heading home. $3.00 per vehicle fee at DeSoto (unless you show a current USFWS Duck Stamp). Transportation and Fri./Sat. evenings lodging in the Council Bluffs area on your own. The Super 8 in Missouri Valley is recommended and is close to both birding locations. For more info, contact Sherry Leonardo at or 816-763-1393.OCTOBER 2010 Saturday, October 2 - Nodaway Valley Conservation Area with Jim Zellmer. Join us as we explore this Holt County conservation area new to most of us. Completed in 2002, a 4-mile stretch of the Nodaway River flows through the middle of the area, providing habitat for both migratory and resident wildlife. Meet at 7:00 a.m. in the commuter lot at Platte City. Directions: take I-29 north to Platte City (exit 18). Turn left (west) on MO Hwy 92 and go 0.2 miles to NW Runninghorse Rd. (old U.S. 71 Hwy). Turn left (south), and go to first intersection. Turn right on Platte Falls Rd., and go 0.1 miles to commuter lot on left (next to Price Chopper). Bring snacks, lunch, beverages, and insect repellent. For more information, contact Jim at  or 816-228-3955.Friday, Oct. 8 through Sunday, Oct. 10 - Fall meeting of the Kansas Ornithological Society in Overland Park, KS (Johnson County Community College). Saturday, Oct. 16 - Haskell-Baker Wetlands with Nancy Leo. Meet at 7:00 a.m. at the Wendy's restaurant at Woodland Drive and K-10 in Lenexa. Directions: take I-435 to KS Hwy.10. Take K-10 west to Woodland Dr. Turn right (north) and go to Wendy's/convenience store entrance. We'll carpool as much as possible, due to limited parking at the wetlands. Target species include: Le Conte's Sparrow, Nelson's Sparrow, both Marsh and Sedge Wrens and any lingering rails. For the most part, we'll walk the gravel paths, but bring rubber boots if you want to help chase up sparrows. This is a planned half-day field trip, but we may visit other nearby areas after lunch, for those who are interested. For more information, contact Nancy at  or 913-205-8847.NOVEMBER 2010 Saturday, Nov. 20 - Lyon, Coffey and Osage Counties (KS) with Matt Gearheart. We'll meet at 6:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the Olathe Holiday Inn (south side of building). Directions: take I-35 south to 151st St./Hwy. K-7 (exit 215). Follow signs to 151st St. Turn right (west) on 151st and continue 0.17 miles to access road between Olathe Medical Center and Holiday Inn. We'll repeat last years' stop at BETO Junction truck stop for breakfast (home of the "world's largest" cinnamon rolls). Extra calories will fuel a great day of birding at Melvern Reservoir, Lyon Co. State Fishing Lake, John Redmond Reservoir, and Coffey County Lake in search of Smith's Longspurs, grebes, loons, scoters, gulls, shrikes, sparrows, and Long-eared Owls. Bring food, beverages, and FRS radios for this all-day trip which will conclude with a bird tally and finger-lickin' good barbeque (ribs highly recommended) at Guy and Mae's Tavern in Williamsburg. For more information, contact Matt at  or 816-569-0817.Saturday, Nov. 27 - Squaw Creek NWR with Mike Stoakes. This trip is in conjunction with the Prairie Village Wild Bird Center. For carpooling, meet at 7:00 a.m. at the WBC (83rd and Mission Rd. in Prairie Village), or at the Squaw Creek visitor center around 8:45 a.m. This is an all day driving trip on the Refuge's 13-mile auto tour loop. We'll witness multitudes of Snow Geese and waterfowl, as well as dozens of Bald Eagles. Bring a sack lunch, snacks, optics, field guides, and FRS radios. After lunch, we'll make another pass around the refuge or explore other nearby areas, such as Big Lake State Park. Dress in layers, as conditions are often cold and windy at this time of year. For more information, contact Mike at or 816-554-1956.DECEMBER 2010 Christmas Bird Counts: Trimble / Smithville - TBA - Compiler: Kristi Mayo. Contact Kristi at or 816-289-7828.Kansas City - Sunday, Dec. 26 - Compiler: Mike Stoakes. Contact Mike at or 816-554-1956.Saturday Morning Bird Walks - Offered by the Prairie Village Wild Bird Center in the Corinth Square shops. FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH, 4046 West 83rd, Prairie Village, KS. Meet at the store at 8 a.m., bird for 2-3 hours, then return to the store. Call 913-381-5633 for more info. Bird Walks through December 2010:
*special all-day field trip MORE INFORMATION: For more information about our field trips or to volunteer to lead a trip, please contact Sherry Leonardo at , or Mike Stoakes at or by phone at 816-554-1956.
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